Your first local read
From download to listening in a few minutes.
MLXRead reads selected text with a model running on your Mac. The setup is short, explicit, and reversible.
Signed & notarized · macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon · ~30 MB DMG
Before you download
Install and hear your first selection
- 01
Put MLXRead in Applications
Open the downloaded DMG, drag MLXRead into Applications, eject the installer, and launch the app. Both the installer and app are Developer ID–signed and notarized by Apple.
- 02
Grant Accessibility access
When macOS opens Privacy & Security → Accessibility, enable MLXRead. This permission lets the app receive the global shortcut and read the selection from the frontmost app. It does not grant network access.
- 03
Choose one local voice
Open Settings → Models. Choose Kokoro for 54 voices across several languages, or Soprano for the fastest English reading. The model downloads once and stays on your Mac.
- 04
Resolve the shortcut once
If Apple's built-in Speak Selection also uses Option-Escape, reassign it under System Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content. MLXRead will not change that setting for you.
- 05
Select, press, listen
Select a sentence in Safari, Notes, Mail, Xcode, or a text-layer PDF. Press ⌥esc. Press it again to stop immediately.
If the first read does not start
Check permission, model, then selection.
Settings → Permissions shows whether Accessibility and the shortcut tap are active. Settings → Models shows whether a voice is ready. Secure fields intentionally cannot be read.